You say "you could easily get 20" new foreigners - if you could I think you would've seen a few more already (but we haven't - probably due to costs
If you need to use 28 2 or 2-3 point riders someone like Smith at the upper end of that range is very likely to be a second string even if by default
That is a popular unsubstantiated reason why Poole get the best young riders. There maybe a host of reasons and none of them cash related. Don't ask me what reasons but it has been said many times that Poole are not the best payers.